Sunday, October 27, 2013

Andrews Log 11/22/63 Salvaged from Trash

[ANDREWS LOG AS TRANSCRIBED BY BILL
KELLY]

Introduction by Doug Horne (Chief Analyst for Military
Records ARRB)

…The ARRB received an Air Force log book literally rescued
from the trash at Andrews Air Force Base by a civil servant named Chuck Holmes
during an office clean-out. He had received an all-DOD message stimulated by
one of the ARRB omnibus search requests sent to the DOD General Counsel, and
was responding to that ‘dragnet’ military telegram.

The assassination record was an old large-format green
military logbook with a cloth cover (i.e. hardbound), with the word “RECORD”
printed on the cover, and “authenticated” by real coffee rings from coffee cups
that had been placed on the cover and had sloshed their contents. It had the
identifier “1254thATW
[Air Transport Wing] Command Post” stamped on the cover, and hand-printed on
two labels were the words “JFK Assassination” and “RFK Assassination 5 June
1968.”

It really was an incredible find. The question was, did it contain anything
important of an evidentiary nature, or was it just an interesting story; and
yet, on the other hand, it may be a vital clue to what really happened inside
the Bethesda morgue, and to the United States of America, on November 22, 1963.

The first 7 pages of the log are titled “Death of JFK, 22 Nov. 63,” and later the
mostly empty logbook were 2 additional pages titled “Death of R.F.K. 05 June
68.” Presumably, someone had placed it aside after November 22nd, in
the belief that it had historical significance and should not have routine
entries placed alongside those of November 22, 1963 – and then someone else,
who had custody of the log and was still aware of its significance in June 1968
when Robert Kennedy was assassinated, had put the logbook to use again,
recording the details of official transportation associated with RFK’s
assassination. (I become very sad whenever I look at my personal photocopy of
this record; it is a grim reminder of the overwhelming tragedy that befell both
the Kennedy family and this nation during the 1960s.)

The two logs contain the tail numbers of aircraft, and for
the most part denote takeoff times, destinations, ETAs, and arrival times at
destinations.

{Horne Notes: The Air Transport Wing at Andrews is arranging
for the Air Force Chief of Staff to return to the United States.}

1446 [2:46] 094197 Dept
for Canada.
ETA 1546

{Horne: LeMay’s aircraft
has taken off for Toronto.}

Received word from 86972 - Returning To HIK, Min 6nd Time, Direct Dallas.
092489 inbound To Whitemn with ulsec McMillian Advised to Standby there for
further instructions.

{H: 86972 is the tail number of the aircraft that Secretary
of State Dean Rusk and Press Secretary Pierre Salinger were aboard, enroute
Japan, when they heard about the JFK assassination This entry indicates the
flight has turned around and is headed for Hickam AFB in Hawaii, will spend
minimal time on the ground there (for refueling - & notes BK – to make
secure land line phone calls to DC) and proceed directly to Dallas.}

1450 Set up MSN #1617 12490 To
Take Sen Kennedy to Otis.

{H: Senator Ted Kennedy was being flown to Otis AFB in Massachusetts so that he
could notify his father of his brother’s assassination in person.}

{H: The flight plan for Air Force One (tail number 26000)
calls for the aircraft to leave Dallas
at 1515 (2:15 Dallas
Time), fly high altitude to Andrews AFB, and that the flight time would be 2
hours, 10 minutes.}

1505 [3:05] Contacted 24197
(UHF) to change Destination to Wairton.

1510 [3:10] Patch w/86972
EST ADW 23/0100

1515 [3:15] Change 12490
Destination Otis to Barnstable.

{H: Senator Kennedy’s flight will no longer land at Ottis
AFB but at Barnstable
instead.}

{H: Tail number 26000 (the brand new, permanent Presidential
Boeing 707 jet), delivered in 1962, has “Mr. Johnson” aboard, along with Mrs.
Kennedy and the body of the deceased Commander-in-Chief. No one yet considers
LBJ as their President, even though by law he is.}

1547 [3:47] =09=09 AF 1
Dept DAL, ETA
ADW 1805

{H: The actual takeoff time of Air Force Onewas 3:47 PM EST,
or 2:47 CST (Dallas Time) The ETA
at Andrews is 6:05 PM}

1600 [4:00pm] = 09 Quiet Hour 1745 To 1830.

1609 [4:09] = 096972 Dept
AIK ETA 00240

{H: The Dean Rusk/Pierre Salinger flight took off from
Hickam AFB in Hawaii
at 4:09 PM EST, and its ETA at Andrews AFB (now its next destination) is 24
minutes after midnight,
EST.}

{H: General LeMay is going to land at Washington National Airport (DCA), adjacent to downtown WashingtonD.C., not at Andrews AFB, which is well
south of the nation’s Capitol. The Secretary of the Air Force (nominally his
superior) wants to meet him at Andrews AFB instead. The Air Transport Wing has
notified the aircraft that Secretary Zuckert wants LeMay
to land at Andrews AFB, not NationalAirport.}

{H: Air Force One has called via radio and requested
passenger steps at the forward passenger door on the left side of the aircraft;
additional steps at the forward galley door on the right hand side of the
aircraft; and a fork lift truck (for the Dallas casket) at the aft passenger
door on the left-hand side of the aircraft, near the tail.}

1700 [5:00pm] =09 Gen Lemay
Will land DCA not ADW. [emphasis is
in original]

{H: LeMay has just
disobeyed the wishes of the civilian who is supposed to be his boss, and has decided
to land at DCA, WashingtonNationalAirport,
anyway. (This speaks volumes.)}